Precious
by SnowLion no Miko
Summary: Matsumoto visits Hitsugaya in the hospital after he is wounded during a hollow attack, and thinks about how much he truly means to her. HitsuMatsu, oneshot


_**Disclaimer: **__I don't own Bleach._

_**Summary: Matsumoto visits Hitsugaya in the hospital after he is wounded during a hollow attack, and thinks about how much he truly means to her. HitsuMatsu, oneshot**_

_Alrighty! This is my first attempt at a HitsuMatsu fanfic. Usually, I'm more of a HitsuRuki girl, but this pairing has always been a favorite of mine, and I'm surprised I haven't written it until now. So, I hope that everyone enjoys this!_

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**Precious**

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Matsumoto Rangiku always knew her taichou was important to her.

He was her _taichou_, after all. She knew that most fukutaichous had a close relationship with their taichou, but this seemed different somehow. It seemed…more _involved _than everyone else's relationships with their subordinates.

Of course, everyone knew of Hinamori's blind devotion to her precious _Aizen-taichou._

And of Kira's loyalty to Ichimaru.

Of Renji's passionate, fiery respect and competition with Byakuya.

And, of course, Kenpachi and Yachiru's unorthodox relationship.

Despite all of those, Matsumoto always felt that her relationship with her taichou was…different somehow.

It had never been more apparent than right now.

The white haired taichou was lying in a bed in the hospital run by the fourth division, recovering from a particularly nasty battle with a hollow. Usually, Hitsugaya left without a scratch on him during those kinds of battles, but this one was particularly sneaky. Not to mention that he had been with Hinamori when it happened, and the small taichou had a rather strange obsession with protecting her.

Basically, one too many things were going on and Hitsugaya found himself on the wrong end of a hollow. He ended up with three large gashes down his stomach, deep and bloody and disturbing. Anything that hurt her taichou like this was disturbing to Matsumoto.

Matsumoto just looked in the door, slightly hesitant to walk in the room where her taichou was, for reasons unknown to her. Unohana walked by, nodding at the strawberry blonde in greeting, and the fukutaichou returned the gesture.

Inhaling, Matsumoto stepped through the threshold and into the room where Hitsugaya resided. The ice wielder's eyes were closed, and he was sitting up, leaning on a bunch of pillows that were propping him up.

She had barely gotten across the room when his sharp, measured voice called out.

"Matsumoto."

The shinigami paused, uncertain at the tone of his voice, and then let a smile cross her features, "Well, taichou, shouldn't have put it past you to let your guard down - not even when you get cut up by hollows!"

A single turquoise eye cracked open in response, "Did you come here to laugh at me?"

Matsumoto laughed nervously, "Oh, no, not at all."

"You _are_, though." Hitsugaya looked at her curiously, his eyes studying her with deliberate precision.

"Well, excuse me for trying to lighten the mood, _tai-chou_." Matsumoto replied with a sing-song of his title.

She walked gracefully toward her captain, feet light and not making a sound against the wood. Her eyes took in his appearance, the blood on the bandages that were wrapped tightly around his torso, obscuring the worst of the wounds except for the infinite amount of crimson that notified her just how bad his injuries were. And yet, here he was just sitting there and acting like his normal self.

She admired him for that.

"Just like you to try unsuccessfully lighten a seemingly dark mood." Hitsugaya said with a hint of amused resentment.

"Geez, and Unohana said you were in a good mood, taichou." Matsumoto crossed her arms underneath her ample chest, "That's why I came. There's nothing as awful as an angry Hitsugaya Toshiro!"

Hitsugaya looked as if he were fighting to keep his lips turned down in a grimace, and he rolled his eyes at his fukutaichou.

Matsumoto looked at the white haired shinigami before pulling out a small chair that was tucked neatly beneath a desk. She looked up at her taichou with smiling gray eyes as she plopped her lithe form into the chair. Crossing her legs, she took notice of Hitsugaya's uncomfortable expression. "What?"

"Nothing…" Hitsugaya said, turning his head to look out the window beside him. The sunlight streamed through the glass, casting light along his tanned features.

Matsumoto sighed, bringing her arms to rest behind her head, causing her breasts to be more displayed than usual. She placed her feet on the desk in front of her and leaned back in the chair, propping it up on the back two legs. She saw Hitsugaya's skin flush in response, and she only allowed her smile to widen. Somehow, she found herself talking, "Ne, you shouldn't scare me like this, taichou."

Hitsugaya scoffed lightly, before casting a sideways glance at his subordinate, "And what would you be talking about?"

"_This_," she said, motioning toward him. Toward his bandages and the dried blood and the slight pale tone to his skin. "You should know that you happen to scare me very much when you're injured."

"Can't imagine life without your hard ass captain, huh?" The tone Hitsugaya used was one of joking, of playfulness, but there was a slight hint of bitterness throughout the question.

"No."

Hitsugaya stiffened slightly at the earnest response. Matsumoto may have as well - it had fallen from her lips completely unbidden. She was taken completely off guard by her own reply, and she let a light gasp come from her throat.

The white haired taichou looked over at his fukutaichou, "I guess I should feel honored then."

Matsumoto laughed at that - rough and wild and untamed, "You better believe it."

"But, however," he found himself talking even more than usual. It was strange, almost like he was on autopilot, and his mind was making him say things that he would never say otherwise. "I do wish they'd forbid you from coming to see me."

"Wh - " Matsumoto croaked, uncertain as to why her heart felt like it was being stabbed with a white hot poker.

"I don't like anyone seeing me like this. Wounded. Helpless. Especially not you, Matsumoto."

The strawberry blonde woman blinked slightly, looking blankly at her taichou as a sudden warmth enveloped her. It was almost as if he was embarrassed, and she sighed, placing her feet on the ground and letting the chair clunk hardly against the floor below. She rested her arms against her knees, leaning forward, and allowed a smirk to grace her pretty features, "Well, if you think I actually _like _seeing you in pain, you're a pretty strange guy, taichou."

Hitsugaya let a laugh - a real, genuine laugh - pass his lips, and the very sound of it caused goosebumps to rise on Matsumoto's arms.

"I think we're both pretty strange, Matsumoto."

"Got that right."

Their gentle laughter twisted and melded together, floating through the quiet air of the 4th Division medical ward, and Matsumoto couldn't think of any other place she'd rather be.

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_**End.**_

_And there you have it! My first attempt at a HitsuMatsu. I hope that everyone enjoyed reading this! This was just a short little thing, basically a kind of friendship/romance fanfic, and I hope that everyone liked it! I would really appreciate it if y'all would leave a little review or something!_

_Thanks for reading! _


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